A Challenging Task
by Puppet James
Summary: Both Buffy and Spike have been lost to death and only now do the ones left behind understand. But they won't accept that it's over and so they break every mystical law there is, to turn back time and give two lovers the chance they always deserved. Follow Willow, Xander and Giles, as they arrive in the midst of School Hard and begin their new mission.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

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**August 7th, 2008**  
**Council Headquarters**  
**London, England**

"Ms. Rosenberg?" She asked, in a tiny voice, prepared for the consequences of calling the older woman out.

"Yes," a tired voice replied, turning around.

Sally suddenly didn't know what to say. The other girls had chosen her as the one to approach their teacher, simply because she had the unfortunate pleasure of drawing the shortest straw. She fidgeted with her hands and moved from one foot to the other, unsure of how to phrase her request.

"Um, some of the girls and I were wondering... maybe we could do some training... um, I know Ms. Lehane isn't here, but..." and that was all she could get out.

Willow sighed. "Sure, Sally, why don't you go get the key from Giles' office, he's not in there right now. Just remember to write up what you do, so Faith can see your improvement when she returns." She didn't bother to wait for a reply, before moving into her office.

With wide eyes, Sally nodded to the air in front of her and scurried down the stairs to tell the other girls the good news. Of course, Ms. Rosenberg didn't have to know that they had no intention of actually training. They just needed somewhere private to talk and the adults had been known to barge into their rooms, without knocking.

Most of the school was off on summer vacation, spending some time with their individual families, before all the hard work started up again. However, those that had no home to return to, were the ones now seated on the floor of the training room.

Some had their family murdered by either Bringers or other evils over the years, or had simply come from a shitty home. One of the reasons why Faith had been made this groups trainer as she knew what it was like to have a past you wanted desperately to forget ever happened.

Sally closed and locked the large door and took her place in the circle. She looked at the five girls surrounding her and wondered just when her life had taken such a turn. Sally Landon was only sixteen years old and from a rather boring small town in Minnesota. She had jumped at the opportunity to go to London and experience actual adventure.

Of course, it might have had something to do with her father, who had decided to use her as his own personal punching bag after her step-mother was killed in a car accident.

"Okay," Sally said, as no one else was going to speak up first. "So, we're sure no one will surprise us in here?"

Rhonda rolled her eyes and snorted, but it was Tandee that answered. "Sally, come on. First off, Ms. Lehane won't be back from Bath for another two days, no doubt. And we all know that, unless they're called down here, our grand leaders won't go anywhere near the training room."

"Yeh," Maggie said, "they're too busy cryin' their bloody eyes out, to worry 'bout us chits," she never looked up from her cracked nail polish.

The others agreed and Sally sighed, having honestly known that these were the facts, but wanted to hear it out loud any way. Of all six girls present right now, only Maggie and Cherie had been around, before the three elders lost their way and reason for being.

Before The Chosen One, Buffy Summers, had been killed in action, exactly three years and ten months ago.

The resident Witch, who had trained with the Devon Coven for two years, pulled out her bag of goodies. Anna had been with the Council for close to three years now, after Mr. Wood found her on one of his patrols through Cleveland. She had been cornered by a handful of Demons and had held her own, through the use of magic. Up until that moment, she had been self-taught.

She was the only one in this group, who wasn't a Slayer, but she still played an important part.

Rhonda pulled a glass bowl out of her bag that she had purloined from the kitchen less than ten minutes earlier and set it in the middle of the circle. She dug her elbow into Tandee's side and the girl responded by pulling her water bottle out from her pocket and handing it to Anna.

Just as the Coven had taught her, the young Witch was creating a dimensional window.

This was something that she had been taught, time and time again, should only be used in the utmost emergency. But apparently the elder Witches had forgotten that they were dealing with a teenage girl and it was far too tempting, especially after Anna had told her friends about the spell.

It was endlessly intriguing to see what other worlds there existed.

Except for that one time, six months ago.

It had been Maggie's turn to put her index finger in the bowl of water and mentally choose a dimension. They'd all studied them, with Ms. Summers, before she had left to go back to Rome. The blue-haired Cockney had unknowingly had a small wound on her finger, that hadn't healed just yet, despite the Slayer package.

Thanks to her blood, the dimension chosen was one with Maggie's counterpart. And in this one, she was a ruthless Vampire, who had cared none for the sanctity of human life. All six girls had been shocked and scarred and it had left Maggie with no friends for a few weeks, as everyone gave her a wide berth in the halls and on patrols.

After a while, things had died down and they had all talked it through, salvaging their friendship. But it still stayed with them and from then on, they had taken many precautions, before going through with the spell. Even if they couldn't make themselves stop completely, which was probably the safest route.

"Okay, everyone ready?" Anna spoke, looking around at her friends.

Since it had been six months since the incident, there was no hesitation, as all five heads nodded at the same time. Anna bent over the bowl and slowly began to pour in the bottled water, while murmuring the incantation under her breath. No one moved, spoke or even thought too loudly, knowing that she needed absolute concentration for this to work.

There had been enough duds the first time, to teach them that lesson.

While they waited for Anna to finish, knowing it would take her a while, as it was a very intricate spell, they all let their minds wander. And, as it had since arriving in this place, they simultaneously thought of their three leaders, who could bring a joyful spirit down in record time, just by being in the room.

Cherie, who had moved to London four years ago from a small town in the south of France, remembered the giddy and babbling Ms. Rosenberg she had first met. A woman who was full of life, despite all the hardships she had seen and the fact that the day Cherie met her, the redhead had only just ended things with Kennedy, one of the Sunnydale Slayers.

Due to a happy upbringing and a good life, before the Bringers ruined it, Cherie had easily been taken in by Ms. Rosenberg's bright spirit. She had never imagined that the loss of her best friend could bring her down, when even losing her soul mate had been something she survived from. But then, Cherie had never known friendship like the one the two women had had.

She had seen how they could have silent conversations and had wished for it herself.

It was a beautiful thing to witness.

Ms. Rosenberg had been a woman that all the SIT's liked. She would sometimes come into the gym, while they were training with Ms. Summers, and chat with the girls who were waiting for their turn or just taking a breather against the wall. Her spirit was bubbly and erratic, often getting laughs out of the younger girls.

And then their trainer had died and everything had changed.

Rhonda, who was born and raised in Africa, had first been introduced to this world when Mr. Harris came for her, two years ago. She had been doubting her choice to join the Council training academy, at first, because of how hardened the older man had been. Until she learned why. The only reason he was still being sent into the field, even, was because she had been from the one continent that he knew the best.

After arriving in London, some of the other girls had informed her that, after the Fall and losing his girlfriend, Mr. Harris had spent almost two years traveling Africa, looking for newly called Slayers. Rhonda was no fool and could easily figure out that it had been a way for him to escape his past and all the loss. Later on, Ms. Lehane had told her, in private, that Mr. Harris had been the first one to lose someone to the fight. His best friend, Jesse McNally.

After that, she had given him some slack, thinking that all he needed was time. Unfortunately, Rhonda never got a chance to meet the careless, goofy man that the older SIT's talked about, as her arrival to the academy happened after Ms. Summers untimely death. And just as with Ms. Rosenberg, it had killed him. Figuratively speaking, of course.

Maggie was the only one, of the six girls, who was a native to the country. She was born and raised in Bristol, another big city, though not nearly as large as London. The rebellious girl had been raised by her older sister, who was killed five years ago by Bringers. She had been preparing to travel to Sunnydale, with all the other Potentials, when everything had gone down.

Having felt the power bubbling up inside her, she had gone to the site of the old Council instead and waited. Within days, one of the surviving Watchers had found her and brought her to a safe spot. The next person she met, was Rupert Giles, who was their Head of Council now. She had been surprised by how stuffy he wasn't, compared to the handful of Watchers she had met so far.

She could tell that he believed, more than anyone, in what they were doing. Believed that someday, the results of their endless battles would finally be rewarded. He was strong, sensible and had an authority that no one questioned. He could be strict when the situation called for it, but was also capable of laughing and joking with them, every once in a while. He was both an enigma and at peace with himself and it drew in most of the SIT's.

Many of the girls had crushes on him, despite the fact that he was past fifty.

And then his charge, his daughter, had died and everything changed. Like Ms. Rosenberg and Mr. Harris, their fearless leader changed. Where before he would often spend time with the girls, sharing stories of the Hellmouth and his own rebellious past as Ripper, he now locked himself in his office, for hours upon hours, hardly ever leaving.

It affected Maggie and the other older Slayers the most, as they had been with him from the beginning. The atmosphere in the academy was brought down, and fast, not long after the funeral. At first, the three of them had kept pretenses up, convincing everyone that this was just another loss they would get through, that it would only make them stronger.

But, little by little, they had lost their leaders and was now left almost to their own devices.

It wasn't long after that, that Ms. Lehane had left her post on the Cleveland Hellmouth and come to London to train the SIT's. Not only because she was now the oldest Slayer in history, with Ms. Summers gone, but also because the other three weren't doing their jobs. Oh, they got things done. They researched and created spells and taught their classes.

But the passion was gone. The fire had died out.

Unlike her friends, Tandee wasn't thinking about the three that had lost their way. Instead, she thought of the one who had actually been strong enough to muddle through the loss and make a life for herself afterward. Dawn Summers. Despite losing first her mother, then her best friend and then her sister, the younger Ms. Summers had actually made it through.

However, it wasn't long before she had enough of the emotions of her pseudo-family and returned to her old life in Rome. After graduating from high school, the former Key had come to London to train as a Watcher. She was incredible with languages and Mr. Giles had said that she was the second best translator the Council had ever seen. But unfortunately the very best died in battle, one year after the Fall, in Los Angeles.

Ms. Summers had enjoyed her job very much, not to mention the fact that she was surrounded by many girls her own age, including Maggie, who had been told that she reminded the brunette of a certain bleached Vampire. With all of the sacrifices the infamous Spike had made, in that final year, Maggie had been honored to be placed next to him.

She was still fighting to live up to it.

Yes, out of them all, Ms. Summers had handled the loss the best, despite the fact that she was the one actually related to the blonde Slayer. But perhaps that was why she had survived enough to move on. Because she had gotten the most time with her and, because she had already said her goodbyes, the last time Ms. Summers died, back when the Hell-God made her presence known in Sunnydale.

They had all heard the stories.

Sally wasn't thinking of the ones left behind. No, the young girl was instead thinking of the one who was lost. The greatest Slayer in history, Buffy Anne Summers. Unlike Maggie and Cherie, she'd never had the pleasure of actually meeting the blonde and that didn't sit well with her.

Sure she had had the pleasure, and still did, to be in the presence of Ms. Lehane, who had only been the the Slayer for two years less than Ms. Summers. But it wasn't the same. Besides, the dark-haired woman frightened Sally and it wasn't just because of the tales of her past as an evil Slayer. It was the way she carried herself, the way she spoke, hell, even the way she fought.

It all just screamed delinquent.

Ever since befriending Maggie and Cherie, Sally wanted to meet Ms. Summers, hearing all the stories of what she was like. If only to see for herself. According to the two girls, the blonde Slayer had been a lot like what their three leaders were like now. From that, Sally had figured that Ms. Summers was grieving.

What none of the SIT's could figure out, was why?

Two floors up, completely unaware of what six of their girls were doing and thinking right now, sat three dejected souls.

Willow had been unable to contact Dawn, though that didn't truly surprise her. Over the years, the three of them had slowly lost contact with the younger woman, who hadn't been able to accept how they handled Buffy's death. What Dawn didn't know, was that there had been a mutual epiphany, between the three, not long after she left.

They had been sitting in this very room, three empty bottles of Scotch between them, when the realization had arrived.

Buffy had, with all of her heart, loved Spike.

It was difficult for all of them to swallow, but after they had gotten through the anger at Buffy, knowing she had let herself die because she had nothing to live for, a light had shone through them. Xander had finally admitted to feeling pride at having known a creature like Spike, who had changed so much, because of love. Especially in light of the fact that Xander couldn't even marry the woman he loved, because he feared change.

Giles had admitted to making many mistakes, concerning his charge and her Vampire protector. He also admitted that the worst hadn't even been his conspiracy with Wood. No, the worst he did was not believe in the bleached man. It hurt to acknowledge, but he saw now, how much he could have changed, by simply believing in the changing man. Perhaps the whole world would have been different, had that been the case.

Willow felt like an awful friend. She thought back on the innocence of her youth, how she had practically pushed Buffy into Angel's arms, because she believed in true love. But with the release of Angelus and her own bitterness at losing Oz, she had grown cold and her heart had hardened and it meant not believing in Spike, when his love for the Slayer was brought into the light.

All three had reluctantly agreed that they had a big hand in ruining things for the woman they claimed to love.

It had taken another year and a lot more booze, to actually accept Spike for who he was and not just what he did, or was capable of. Another year passed by, before Xander admitted to actually liking the Vampire and citing that that was why he had pushed him away. He felt as if he was blackening Jesse's memory, by befriending not just a creature like the one that had killed him, but one who was of the actual line, as well.

With time, Giles also came to the conclusion that, if he hadn't been so desperate to push Ripper down, he'd been more acceptable to the changes in Spike. After all, he himself knew what it was like, to go from one extreme to the other. He knew now that it shouldn't have mattered that the Vampire did it without the help of a soul.

Willow was the one who pointed out that it wasn't just Angelus that had changed their whole world view. Angel had a hand in that, too. Because of his cursed soul, they had been convinced that Vampires needed one, to be on their side and Spike was the one who had suffered through those consequences. And perhaps even the rest of the world, too.

It was a hard pill to swallow, as they all tried hard to remain in denial, but now, five years after Spike gave his life to save the world and close to four years since Buffy let a Vampire have his one, good day, they could no longer deny the facts.

Thanks to them, the world had lost two of their greatest fighters.

All because of their refusal to see the gray.

Well, no more.

Things were about to change.

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**Authors Note;** Some of you may be confused about the first part of the prologue, introducing original characters that will not be a part of the rest of the story. For me, it was important to see the grief that Willow, Xander and Giles were going through, through the eyes of others. People that didn't really know them as well as Dawn and Faith, or even us readers. Hope you understand and don't get too confused :)


	2. Back to Basics

**Tuesday, September 30th, 1997**  
**The Bronze**  
**Sunnydale, California**

They came to awareness at the sound of someone clapping in the distance.

Willow was the first one to realize what was happening, as she watched a surprisingly younger-looking Spike step out of the shadows. She refused, for the moment, to allow her eyes to wander to the petite blonde that the Vampire was chatting up. Now wasn't the time to fall apart.

Behind the redhead Xander was shaking his head, still shocked that they had actually succeeded. After years of research and delving into the demonic contacts around the world, the three of them had managed to send themselves back in time, by focusing on Spike.

Which is why they were at their first meeting with the bleached Vampire.

Only, Xander was a bit slow at the moment, as he took in the familiar backdrop of the alley behind the Bronze. A club he hadn't seen in close to six years, as that last year in Sunnydale had been a bit too busy for partying. A slow, yet steady, smile spread on his lips, when he realized that he was looking at the world through two eyes.

No more pirate patch for the Xand-Man, he thought, with a slightly giddy, mental snicker.

A deep, baritone voice brought him out of his musings, as he finally realized what was happening. He watched the black, leather-clad ghost strutting in front of a very familiar blonde as he told her what he was going to do on Saturday. Xander just barely stopped himself from rolling his eyes.

They'd be seeing Spike much sooner, he knew.

The Vamp had no patience whatsoever.

As he disappeared back into the shadows he had bled from, Willow turned to Xander and the two of them shared a silent glee at having succeeded in their plan. Then, as if on some silent agreement, both of them turned as a single unit toward the girl who was approaching them.

"Well, that was interesting," Buffy said, in a shaky voice that defied her attempts to appear calm and collected.

Both of them knew, from memory, that Spike had scared the Slayer more than she had cared to admit, at the time. For whatever reason, even before knowing his past and his conquests, she had sensed the danger he could potentially be, if she let her guard down for even a second.

Say what you will of the young girl, but she was not a fool and very good at her job.

"Do you guys mind stopping by the library with me? I think Giles should know as soon as possible about this." She said, not even waiting for a reply as she went back inside the club to get her purse.

Leaving the two travelers to weed through the shock of seeing their friend again.

Xander wouldn't have been able to speak for anything in the world. His mind was cluttered with all that this entailed. They had made it. They could change so much. Buffy was alive. That last one was stuck on repeat and he couldn't get rid of it, no matter how hard he tried.

Willow was doing a better job of keeping calm, but not by much. She felt the inherent innocence, swimming inside this younger body, coupled with the hardness that comes with the experience of her older spirit. They were battling it out in her head and the sight of her long-lost best friend wasn't helping one bit. She was slowly losing her mind, she knew, but was helpless to stop it.

The only thing they could do was follow their friend, as they made the familiar trek back to the old high school.

Thankfully, Buffy was still stuck on thoughts of the intimidating Vampire from earlier, so she never noticed how silent her two friends were being, as they walked a few feet behind her. In her mind, she was going over all the possibilities of the man the other Vampire had called Spike. It didn't look good.

Thanks to years of practice, it took barely any strain for Willow to open up a mental link with Xander. By the time they turned the corner, leaving behind the dark alley and moving toward their destination, they were discussing everything that this new change meant.

Not to mention the comments flying back and forth, dripping in humor.

_Oh god, Xander, have you seen yourself?_ A giggle._ I'd forgotten how differently you dressed, before those horrid Hawaiian shirts filled up your closet._ Snicker.

Xander rolled his eyes at the redhead._ Yeah, well, you're one to talk, Wills. Those overalls are hideous and make you look square, not to mention your hair. Don't throw stones._ One raised eyebrow.

Willow glared right back. _Okay, so maybe we've both come a long way since we were..._ Widened eyes. _Oh oh oh, Xander, we're sixteen! I totally spaced on that fact, when we did the spell._

Xander looked thoughtful and only a little bit scared. _Giles said we wouldn't know exactly when we'd return, which was why we centered it on Spike, cause we wanted to make sure he was still undead. But I get what you're saying._ A shudder_._ _This is very scary, Wills. At least my birthday is coming up in a few months._ He teased.

It was Willow's turn to roll her eyes. _Thanks a lot, Xand, for reminding me that I'm the youngest of us three._ A pointed look in Buffy's direction. _That makes me feel sooo much better._ Clear sarcastic tone.

A small smile. _Hey, check it out._ Followed by a rapid series of blinks. _I have two eyes, heh._ Mental laughter.

An elbow jabbed into ribs. _Yeah, but where did your muscles run off to?_ A giggle and pointed stare at his belly.

Xander sulks. _Ha, ha, Wills, you're just hilarious._ A roll of his eyes. _May I remind you, once again, of your own appearance._

A small frown, followed by a smile. _Not gonna work this time, mister. Mine can be changed very fast, you have to actually work to get your physique back. So there!_ Tongue out.

Xander sighed and, in a mood befitting a five-year-old, cut off the mental link, crossed his arms and stared straight ahead. Willow let a small giggle pass by her lips, shaking her head and sighing. It had taken more strain than expected, to keep up the link for so long, but had been more than worth it.

It was the first time in years that they had been so... at ease with each other.

Not since Buffy's final death.

When they reached the large structure that had been home for them throughout four years, it took every single effort they had, not to stop and gaze up at the school. It wouldn't do to make Buffy suspicious, before they had a chance to figure out whether she should be told or not. And that was a task best left to Giles.

Pushing away the slew of memories the high school brought them, they continued on after Buffy, following her through the achingly familiar hallways, passing classrooms and the cafeteria, on their way. And then, just when they were beginning to think their journey couldn't get any weirder, they stood before the revolving doors of the library.

It sent chills down their spines, though not the bad kind.

So much had happened in there.

Steeling themselves for the onslaught of memories, since they knew Buffy wouldn't be pausing in her gait, they pushed through the doors and once more stood in the middle of the almost forgotten room. Stacks upon stacks of books caught their eye straight ahead, to their left was the book cage and to their right, the counter. And in the very middle, amongst piles of books, stood the very familiar table, where a very familiar man sat.

It wasn't until now, seeing him again, that Willow and Xander realized just how much their mentor and father figure had changed. This Giles wore nothing but tweed, strangely rounded glasses and carried himself stiffly. It seemed that Giles was falling into old, familiar patterns, despite being from the same future as the two, younger ones.

"Hi, Giles. I just came to tell you about this Vamp that I met tonight," Buffy said, getting straight to it, as she threw herself into one of the chairs.

Before he answered, Giles shared a glance with Willow and Xander, wanting to make sure that the spell had, indeed, been a success and it wasn't just him who was back. Seeing the intense maturity in their eyes, there was no doubt that he wasn't alone and so he lifted his lips slightly up and then turned to his charge.

Thanks to his years of training at the academy, when he first became a Watcher, he had prepared himself for seeing Buffy again. But it still took his breath away. There she sat, popping gum, her legs up on the table and staring out at nothing, fiddling with the cross around her neck. Giles felt dizzy, suddenly and forced himself into the seat across from the Slayer.

Who thankfully didn't notice a thing.

Willow and Xander stayed by the counter, not sure of how to act, waiting for Buffy to explain and jumping in if necessary. Giles asked her to describe the encounter, despite knowing exactly what was coming. At least this time, they'd be more prepared, come Thursday.

It also helped to know that St. Vigeous wouldn't be an issue, as they had feared the first time.

"You say that the other one called him Spike?" Giles said, appearing completely oblivious.

"Yeah," she replied, chewing loudly and not realizing that the usually easily annoyed Watcher didn't even care. "Such a weird name, but I guess it fit him. He had really, really white hair, like, not blonde but white. He looked like some eighties reject, Billy Idol wannabe, or something. Does that mean anything to you?" She asked, not as successful at hiding her fear as she had been the first time.

Giles pretended to think for a moment, before searching through his books, coming up with the right one. This part wasn't pretense, as he couldn't remember exactly which tome he had first found reference to Spike in. He leafed through the pages, knowing better than to hand the book over to Buffy, as he prepared to read aloud.

"Ah, yes, here he is. He went by William the Bloody in the early years. Got his name from torturing his victims with a railroad spike," he said, ignoring Buffy's disgusted look. "Hmm," he said, waiting for his Slayer's full attention.

Buffy sat up, recognizing the look in her Watcher's eyes, a fearful look in her eyes. "What?"

"Spike is the Childe of Drusilla the Mad, who is the Childe of... Angelus." He said gravely, knowing it was best to get it out there, as quickly as possible.

The quicker she got past her infatuation with the cursed Vampire, the better.

All three agreed on this.

"Oh," Buffy replied, suddenly finding the table very intriguing.

"What does that mean, Giles?" Willow asked, sitting down next to Buffy to offer support.

He pushed his glasses further up on his nose. "I'm not sure, of course, but from what I can gather here, Spike was a part of the Scourge of Europe, which consisted of Angelus, Darla, Drusilla and Spike. They spent twenty years cutting a bloody swath through the European continent." He said, getting it out there, before Buffy could cut him off.

She couldn't continue to hide her head in the sand, when it came to her Vampiric boyfriend.

"Why only twenty years?" Xander asked, already knowing the answer, of course, as he took a seat on the stairs behind the girls.

Giles pretended to read for a few seconds, before answering. One look at Buffy told him that, despite trying to pretend otherwise, she was very interested in hearing the answer. "My best guess would be the curse. After Angel got his soul, he split with his family and apparently, without his presence, they didn't stay together for long. I believe Darla returned to the Master's side and Drusilla and Spike went off on their own."

Buffy flinched at the name of her killer, but otherwise didn't appear to have any reaction. Her words sounded calm and collected, though her friends knew better. "How old is this Spike guy, Giles? I mean, he obviously isn't older than Angel, right? He can't be that bad,"

Now, the threesome had made the choice to focus on Spike, when they did the spell, for the very reason that they planned on getting the two blondes together. But Giles knew that, despite that, they had to be completely honest with her. If she were to fall in love with Spike, she had to know exactly what he was capable of.

After all, she had known the first time and still fallen for him. Eventually.

"Spike was turned in 1880, so no, he's not quite as old as most Master Vampires. However, and this is very important, Buffy, Spike became a Master after only twenty years, when... when he killed his first Slayer."

It was out there and now all they could do, was wait for Buffy's reaction.

The blonde lifted her head, gazed at her Watcher and asked just one question. "What do you mean, his first?"

Giles sighed. "In 1900, during the Boxer Rebellion in China, Spike cemented his status as an Aurelian Master, when he took out Xin Rong. Seventy-seven years later, on a subway cart in New York City, Nikki Wood was bested by him, in a battle that took almost two days." He pretended to read from the book, though no Watcher but him knew the actual details, nor the name of the first one.

"He has killed two, but fought many more. This is not a threat taken lightly, Buffy. He is quite dangerous and a very accomplished fighter. Do not forget that, dear," he warned.

Just because they were destined to fall in love, didn't mean he wanted her to let her guard down.

And then he was struck with an idea. He wanted her to learn about the past of her boyfriend and now he had the perfect excuse. He hadn't thought of it the first time, because it took him a while to connect the dots, but not this time. This time he knew exactly what the connection between Angel and Spike was and he could use it to his advantage.

"Buffy, I know you despise research, but I think you can agree with me on this. I need you to read up on Spike's patterns, going all the way back to when he was first turned. I will collect the books you need and you will study, understood?" He said, using his authority in ways he hadn't in years.

At least, in his mind, he hadn't.

Thankfully, this Buffy was used to it.

She sighed. "Okay, Giles. I promise I will do the reading." And then she mumbled. "Just what I needed, more homework."

Willow hid her snicker behind her hand and Giles rolled his eyes, pretending to be exasperated by his young charge. In reality, it was nice to hear her be so relaxed, despite the potential threat she faced. He hadn't realized until right now, how much she had hardened over the years. It had been such a gradual change, that it had snuck up on them all, including Buffy.

What had begun with Angelus' release and Angel's subsequent abandonment after Graduation, had continued more than a year later, with Riley's betrayal, Joyce's death and Buffy's own sacrifice. When Willow had brought her back, there was no hope for the Slayer to ever be her old, bubbly self ever again and the arrival of the First had only cemented that fact.

This was a nice surprise and Giles promised to do everything in his power to keep her like this.

No matter the cost, he thought with a dark look.

"Alright then, that's settled. Buffy, you will study and be prepared come Saturday. Willow, Xander, I'll need your help to make some more stakes. We'll need all the backup we can get," he said, knowing it was expected of him.

"Sure thing," Xander said, shocking himself with how easy it came, to be young and happy again.

It had been such a long time since he had even smiled. Or at least, smiled with no help from alcohol.

Giles watched as the three teens left the library, silently praying that Buffy would actually do the reading and not shy away from the topic of her boyfriend's evil past. He went into the office and got out some of the hidden booze, pouring himself a glass, while he waited to hear the revolving doors, once more.

Twenty minutes passed, before the sound came and he returned to the main room.

"Did you see her off okay?"

Xander threw himself into a chair, sighing. He let Willow answer. "Yes, Giles. She is a big girl, y'know?" She smiled, though understood his worry. "We let her walk us home and then came straight here, after following her and making sure she crawled into her bedroom without problems."

Xander made a face. "We saw Angel following her. God, I'd forgotten how... creepy he was," he admitted, realizing how much he'd gotten used to Spike, who was the in-your-face kind of guy, so completely different from his brooding Grandsire.

Willow gave Giles a sly look. "But you're taking care of that, aren't you? That was really clever, getting her to read up on the Scourge. There's a very good chance she'll at least be more hesitant, from now on."

What she wasn't saying was that Buffy was currently a sixteen-year-old girl, filled with hormones and the idea that Angel was the love of her life. But whatever pause they could put on it, until they figured out something more permanent, was better than nothing and they knew it.

By now, all three sat around the table, discussing the success of the spell, while sharing some expensive Scotch. Giles had declared that it was a good enough reason to break it out, as they had much to celebrate, including this once in a lifetime second chance.

And then Giles sputtered, practically choking on the liquid. Willow pounded him on the back a few times, before he got his breath back. "What happened there, Giles?" She asked, a bit of her old innocence shining through with her worry.

"Jenny," he coughed out and both teenagers suddenly sat still in shock.

They had completely forgotten, which apparently Giles had too, until this very moment. Angelus hadn't been released yet, which meant the teacher was still around. And, as he could recall, currently dating him at the moment. His past and her heritage hadn't destroyed the trust yet and now it was possible that it never would.

In all their rush to get through the night and to deal with Spike and Buffy, this had slipped all of their minds. It wasn't just the relationship between the two blondes they could change, or the events that nearly ended the world, many years from now. It was so much more.

So many lives lost, could now be saved.

It was a beautiful thought and their spirits soon returned to the atmosphere of ten minutes ago.

Everything would eventually be alright.

They would see to it.

* * *

**Thursday, October 2nd, 1997**  
**Sunnydale High**  
**Sunnydale, California**

Willow watched, with a wince, as Joyce Summers approached her daughter from Snyder's office.

"In the car, now," she said, in that disappointed voice that only a parent could get away with.

Knowing that it was coming, the redhead approached an ignorant Cordelia who was standing by the punch. This time, there was sugar in it. "Hey, Cordelia, can you go check on the guys in the library for me?" She asked, wanting the brunette to be safe, instead of hiding in a closet all night.

Cordelia rolled her eyes and shrugged her shoulders. "Sure," she said, though sounded like it was the end of the world and she was just doing Willow a favor, much against what she wanted.

Just as the cheerleader turned the corner, Willow heard the sound of glass breaking, as Spike and his minions burst in through the large window in the back. She watched from the shadows as Buffy pulled her mother, Snyder and a handful of teachers with her down the hall. She heard her shout to Giles and then barricade herself up in the science room.

With a sigh of relief, Willow hid in the same closet as before, knowing that this had to be handled delicately and that she had no part in it. Her job was done, ensuring Cordelia's safety, along with the teacher Spike had killed the first time. Now, all she could do was wait for the others to do their part.

While Buffy was trying to keep order in the science room, Giles and Xander were in the library, packing a bag of weapons, while Jenny watched from the sidelines. That had been an emotional meeting, when the Watcher had come to school yesterday and been met with the young gypsy.

He had yet to inform her that he knew of her past and reason for being here.

"What are you doing?" She asked, a bit frantic and very worried.

Ignoring her, for the moment, Giles pulled a chair over for Xander to stand on, as the boy removed the ceiling tile and pulled himself up. There would be no going through the stacks to get Angel this time, as the brooding Vampire had barely been any help the last time, not counting the few minions he had managed to stake outside.

Instead, Xander would do what Buffy had done and crawl through the ceiling, bringing the Slayer's weapons to her and then hopefully ensuring that more lives would be saved. The only one they couldn't do anything about was the stubborn teacher who had crawled through the window of the science room.

Without Buffy being aware of that possibility there was just no way to prevent it.

"Be careful," Giles said and the two men shared a glance.

Xander nodded and then went through the hole. Perhaps if this had been the original Xander of this time, it would've been impossible for him to keep quiet. But, as this man had seen his fair share of horrors over the years, a little cob web and some spiders were not going to prevent him from doing his part.

Careful to stick to the secure beams and not make a sound, he made his way through the ceiling, mentally remembering the path from the map he had checked out earlier. He made all the correct turns, until he heard the unmistakable sound of a ceiling tile being removed.

He smiled a little to himself as he watched his petite friend pulling herself into the same space as him. He stopped what he was doing, waiting for Buffy to spot him as he heard the worried tones of Joyce from a few feet below.

"Xander!" She whispered roughly when she finally saw him.

He held up the bag of weapons as a response. "Giles figured you might need some ammo, so he sent me to find you. We thought this might be the safest route,"

Buffy gave him a small smile. "Thanks, Xand, that's great. Listen to me; I'm gonna go back down and you're coming with me. I need you to get my mom and the others to safety, okay? Though I don't know how that's gonna happen?" She pondered out loud.

"Giles told me there's a way out through the stacks, so I just gotta get them to the library and we're home free," he whispered back, remembering the plan perfectly.

"Okay," she said, backing out of the ceiling and waiting for him to join her.

"Xander! What's going on?" Joyce asked, in desperation, when she saw her daughter's friend coming down, covered in dust and filth.

"Don't worry about it, Mom. I'm gonna get us out of here and then I want you to follow Xander, got it?"

"But, Buffy..."

"No, Mom, please just do as I say. You go it?" She lifted her brows, waiting for an answer.

Joyce sighed. "Alright, honey, but I want an explanation later, okay?"

Xander swallowed his snicker at the older woman's determination, knowing that it would be close to another year, before she learned of her daughter's destiny. He waited with Joyce, while Buffy went outside to make sure that the passage would be safe.

Seeing a shadow through the small window, Xander brandished his trusty stake and followed his best friend.

Buffy moved slowly against the wall, her stake in front of her, as she watched the two Vampires trying to get into the science room. One of them left for the main space, while the other continued on, unaware that he was being stalked by a very dangerous predator.

Secure that Sheila had her back, she didn't think to concentrate on her surroundings, other than the one Vamp ahead of her. When he noticed her presence, he gloated for less than a second, before he found himself with a stake through the heart. The same familiar sound of a body turning into dust came from behind and Buffy quickly turned.

Seeing the unmistakable image of Sheila decomposing, leaving Xander behind with a raised hand, holding a stake.

"I got your back, Buff," he grinned and she returned it with a bright smile of her own.

Pushing down the sadness of seeing Sheila in the daylight the previous day, only to have her be dust at her feet now, Buffy moved with Xander back to the science room, where the two of them quickly ushered out the collective people inside. With his promise to the blonde, he herded them toward the library, while Buffy went off for the main room, to see if she couldn't catch Spike before he left.

It was entirely on purpose, when Xander agreed to go ahead of Joyce down the secret passageway, knowing that the older woman would double back. It was important for Spike to learn respect and in order for that to happen, Joyce would have to knock him over the head with an ax.

"Fe, fie, foe, fum, I smell the blood of a nice, ripe... girl," the Vampire clucked out, as he turned to see Buffy behind him.

Fifteen seconds earlier, Willow had followed through on the second part of the plan involving her, as she burst forth from the closet and ensured that the minions would chase her out of the school, leaving Buffy to confront a sole Spike. Thus making sure that not too much changed, other than the death count.

"You shouldn't have come here, Spike," she said, voice shaking at the silent reminder of this Vampire's past conquests.

"I know," he grinned, in full on game face, "I messed up your doilies and stuff. But I just got so bored."

Despite the obvious threat he presented, Spike had yet to tell Buffy the speech of how his weapon was always on him and so Buffy, seeing him with bare hands, willingly dropped the ax. She thought of her sister Slayers and vowed to take him out in a fair fight, to honor Xin Rong and Nikki.

Seconds later, the fight began. Buffy was silently entranced by his power and tenacity, as he met her every punch with a counterattack. They swept through the destruction of the high school, neither caring about what they left in their wake, as they continued on with the fight of their lives.

Buffy thought back to just before the summer and realized that Spike couldn't possibly be compared to the Master. The older Vampire had been all about thrall and when it came right down to it, that fight hadn't been very long, before she'd thrown him through the roof of the library.

In all honesty, Buffy hadn't fought an opponent this good since Lothos and that was only because she'd been the Slayer less than two weeks. Now, she had more than a year's experience and yet Spike still wasn't dust. As she began to sweat from the exertion, she slowly began to realize why he had bested two of her sisters before her. And it terrified her.

For Spike's part, he was equally surprised and taken in by the power in this lithe, blonde spitfire of a girl. With Xin Rong it had been about the glory, the ability to say that he had taken down the Slayer. With Nikki it had been about proving he was the best, by taking out the best, as the wild New Yorker had, at the time, been the best Slayer in history. But this one.

Spike was beginning to realize that killing his third would take a lot more than just two days, as the last one had. And he couldn't wait. He would truly enjoy fighting her, for as long as he could, before he saw his opening. So now, as he stood over her, a wooden beam quickly thrown aside, he wished for something to come along and distract him.

He never wanted to end the dance, with this particular Slayer.

He got his wish, as an older woman knocked him over the head with an ax. Playing the part perfectly, he grabbed it in pain and growled, running off. Wondering if the Slayer would ever figure out the truth. That he could simply have turned around and killed the woman, before finishing with her.

He grinned as he ran from the school, making his way back to the factory.

This would be very interesting.

* * *

**Friday, October 3rd, 1997**  
**Revello Dr., 1630**  
**Sunnydale, California**

Buffy's entire body was still aching from the fight the night before, as she got under the covers and prepared to go to sleep. It had been a very long day, indeed. Snyder had forced her to help with the clean-up, positive that she had something to do with it and completely ignoring the fact that, if not for her, they'd all be dead right now, including him.

Not in the mood to argue with the little troll, she had shrugged her shoulders and gotten to work.

Desperate for anything to keep her mind off a certain bleached Vampire.

When night had fallen, she had gone with Xander and Willow to the Bronze, as it was a Friday and she could stay out a bit later than usual. They had danced and talked and congratulated each other on a successful night, thankful that they wouldn't have to worry about St. Vigeous the next day.

And then, the mood had gotten strained, with the arrival of a brooding Vampire.

Angel had sulked and pouted, asking Buffy why she hadn't come to get him when the fight broke out the previous night. Silently, Buffy had been extremely shocked that he was sullen because of this. Not only had he never showed up on Tuesday, even though he said he would, but he had never shown his face until now, either.

And here he was, trying to make her feel guilty for not making him a part of the fight. And, honestly, she did feel a little guilty, but mostly she was angry. She explained that she had been busy trying to control the situation and save lives, including her mother, while also fighting a very accomplished Master Vampire, who just happened to be a part of his line.

The look that followed made her feel very small, as she waited for him to chastise her, for blowing her lid. Amazingly enough, when he finally slinked back into the shadows, Willow had agreed with Xander that he had been too hard on her and that she couldn't possibly let herself believe him.

But Buffy knew that Angel was right. Willow and Xander didn't understand. They weren't a Slayer in love with a Vampire.

So now, she felt sorry for herself and for how she acted with Angel.

The teenager in her refused to see the logic in it and place the blame where it belonged, so she put it on her own shoulders, instead.

Now, as she lay her head down on her pillow, she realized that while Angel had berated her and brooded near her, he'd never offered up an explanation for Spike. Granted, she hadn't asked, but she thought it might have been the nice thing to do, since Buffy hadn't managed to stake him.

She shivered, reminded of the close call, had her mother not shown up.

Buffy thought about all the interesting things she'd learned, ever since Giles had given her those books to read. Not only did she know plenty of the entire Scourge, which included the dusted Darla and hereto unseen Drusilla, but she'd also gotten a pretty clear picture of what Angelus was like, before the curse.

It never occurred to her that this had been Giles' intention.

What intrigued her the most, though, was the enigma that was Spike. It became quite clear, early on, from the Watcher reports, that this Vampire was different than most. Not only did he believe in a fair fight, which was exactly why he had gone after Slayers in the first place, but he also enjoyed the occasional battle against other Demons.

Never his own kind, though, as he didn't want to be seen as a traitor.

While Buffy read of Angelus' joy in torturing his victims, and their loved ones, before striking, Darla's need to go for the jugular and break someone's spirit and Drusilla's delight in taking out entire orphanages and burn a city to the ground, she also learned about Spike. He was the complete opposite. Oh sure, he enjoyed the occasional massacre, but for him it was the chance to fight that enticed him and not the thought of all the flowing blood, or the screams of the innocent.

Placing the Spike of the books with the one she'd met wasn't difficult at all. She could clearly see him, in the way he had fought and the puns he had handed out. And here, in the darkness of night, with no one around, she was willing to admit that she had seen a lot of herself in him.

They were kindred, in many ways, though still enemies.

Unfortunately, the more she learned of Spike, the more she got to know Angelus, as well. And there was one thing that had her absolutely stunned and more than a bit terrified.

The dates didn't match up.

According to Angel, he had been cursed with his soul in 1898, after the Scourge had gone through a gypsy-infested part of Europe. Though not too many details had been given, she'd never forget what he did say. Not to mention that it had been corroborated later, when she began reading and saw the year once more.

And yet, it was in the year 1900, when Spike took his first Slayer, that the Scourge, all four of them, had arrived in China.

To Buffy, this made no sense. Or at least, a scary kind of sense, if she allowed herself to think about it.

Angel, after being cursed with a soul, had continued to travel with his family. Buffy wasn't an idiot, she remembered what Darla was like. And she knew, without a doubt, that she wouldn't have spent another two years with him, if he had been feeding off rats and other animals.

Which meant that he had killed, with the soul.

Another shiver passed through her.

The final nail, in the coffin that was her love for Angel, was what she had discovered less than thirty minutes ago, before she went to bed. There was only one book left, this one filled with the other Aurelians in the line. Some were minions, created by various Masters, just before a big battle. But a few handfuls were Childer.

Now, learning of Penn, Elisabeth and James hadn't shocked her. After all, Angelus had been evil and looking for others like him. That, she could deal with, given enough time. It was the latest one to join the line, not counting the Anointed One, that had her toes curling and heart freezing.

Sam Lawson.

According to the very accurate Watcher accounts, Lawson had been a sailor during the second world war. Him and his team were stuck on a submarine, with three Masters, including what was believed to be Spike, though the reports weren't sure. Then, things got a bit sketchy.

Not aware of the curse, at this point, the report read that Angelus was captured as well, but for some reason didn't make his presence known, until much later. When most of the crew had been slaughtered by the other three, he decided to use his smarts, as he often did, and refused to let anymore die or they'd never make it to the surface.

Buffy knew that Vampires didn't need breath and this helped secure the knowledge that it had really been Angel, trying to save the remaining crew. But that only made what happened all the more unbelievable. At some point, no details given, Angel had turned Sam Lawson, who had then gotten the sub to safety.

Buffy was in shock.

She wanted to believe that he did it for the right reasons. She spent a long time, trying to make it alright, but she just couldn't. First, she tried to imagine that Lawson was dying and he was the only one capable of getting them to safety. But that still didn't make it alright. Then, she wondered if Angel really was his Sire, or if the Council had gotten their wires crossed. But she knew that wasn't likely, either. Finally, she came to the terrifying conclusion that Angel had, in his right mind, forced Vampirism onto an innocent man.

And thereby signed the death certificate of Lawson's future victims.

Buffy might've been more understanding if Angel had later tracked down the sailor and dusted him. But according to reports, Lawson was still very much undead. And she just couldn't make heads or tails of it.

How could he do that?

As night slowly turned into day, Buffy still stayed wide awake, going over everything in her head.

And, as the thoughts cemented themselves in her mind, her love for Angel died, little by little.

Yes, Giles had certainly been smart to give her those books.

It did more than even he had imagined.


	3. Devil's Advocate

**Warning!** Some decent graphic violence in this, and character death. You have been warned!

* * *

**Monday, October 6th, 1997**  
**Sunnydale High**  
**Sunnydale, California**

Giles was going through some of his books, trying to fill his spare time when he wasn't attempting to change the future. Or spending time with Jenny, he thought with a smile, thinking of the date on Saturday when he took her to a nice restaurant in town.

He hummed some old tune under his breath as he stacked a pile of books in his arms and ventured into the back, doing some necessary cataloging. Though today was a school day, the entire junior class was on a field trip, in preparation for the arrival of their exchange students.

The Watcher stopped as he made it to the right stack, wondering how the others were doing. Willow was going to distract Buffy by letting her come with her to talk to Rodney, while Xander snuck off and took care of the seal. Hopefully ensuring that it would never be broken and that Ampata would never be free to roam loose in Sunnydale.

It had been a teenage Xander that had been infatuated with the young mummy and his adult and mature version had absolutely no problem with the plan. In fact, he had come up with it in the first place, as he was the one to remember this event once the field trip was first announced.

With Ampata out of the way, other than the occasional fledgling on patrol, it would be a while before Buffy had another supernatural worry. Which meant she could focus on her regular Slayer work, while making sure that the real Ampata had a nice trip here in America.

Having watched the three children in the past few days, Giles had also come to another conclusion. Just by being from the future, things were already changing. Xander wasn't making things difficult for Buffy, by lusting after her and there was no three-way drama, as Willow was completely and utterly gay, this time around, with no interest whatsoever in her oldest friend.

Buffy had yet to notice these subtle changes, he was sure, but it was only a matter of time.

Another thing was Queen C and her Cordettes. As they refused to pretend too much, Willow and Xander had gone to the mall over the weekend and completely altered their wardrobe. Today was the first time they had been spotted in their new attire and it had made quite the impression.

Buffy had simply been proud, thinking she had something to do with them finally being brave enough to show who they really were. And in a sense, she did have a hand in it, since her presence over the years brought both teens out of their individual shells. So they let her believe it and she took it well enough. The real reply noticed, was that of the popular crowd. Even Giles had not been blind to the effects.

In fact, they had yet to make a single, grotty statement about the two teens, as they're too busy being gobsmacked at the clear difference in appearance. With Xander's new, highlighted hair and more well-fitting clothes, not to mention the confidence with which he now carried himself, and Willow's more daring attire, high ponytail and make-up, many words had been whispered around the school corridors, before the bus ever set off for the museum.

Giles snickered at the memory of the earlier morning, a bit interested in their return, sure that they would still be talking about it then. If there was one thing he could count on from teenagers, it was their endless chatter. And though they weren't technically teenagers in spirit anymore, Willow and Xander still played their part pretty well.

A little too well, at times, he thought with a grin.

Finished with the first batch of books, he returned to the main room and continued with his cataloging. Even though it had been almost a week now, since their return to this world, he still found himself sometimes standing completely still, overcome with emotions. They had managed to do the impossible and it amazed him. He was sure that it always would, no matter how much time passed.

These, and many more thoughts, were stuck in his head, dancing around and never quite finding their place. He knew he would most likely have a headache at the end of the day, but there was nothing to be done about it. With a sigh, he grabbed another tower of books and made his way back toward the stacks. However, when he came to the third book in the pile, he was finally distracted from his usual thoughts.

The Pergamum Codex.

Of course, to him, it had been many years since Buffy's first death, but that wasn't the case anymore. He remembered the night Angel had come to him, the book in hand, after he had requested it. Sometimes he wished he hadn't known, sure that Buffy still would've been revived, even without the knowledge.

He had lost much sleep from nightmares of that night and he was sure Buffy did too.

And probably right now, as it hadn't been as long ago for her.

As Giles often did, once he thought one thing, it turned into another, with the blink of an eye. His mind wandered to the cursed Vampire and for the first time, he truly saw the differences between the two Vampires he had known more than Watchers were supposed to. After all, this was the first time he was around Angel, since all his years spent with Spike on his Slayer's side.

And he realized that, even while supposedly evil, Spike had been easier to handle than Angel ever was. The bleached man was never cryptic, never hid in the shadows and never risked Buffy's life, for whatever reason he might come up with. More importantly, Giles suddenly realized, completely aware of his charge's insecurities, Spike would never leave. At least, not by choice, as proven by his heroic death in the Hellmouth.

Spike was the one who stayed.

Shaking his head, not ready to think of the implications of this particular epiphany, Giles returned to his task and pushed away all thoughts concerning Vampires who went against the grain, be it by curse or by choice.

In his mind, he tried to memorize all the lyrics to his favorite tunes, as he waited for the three children to return from the museum. He had realized, by now, how dangerous it could be to let his thoughts wander, so he forced them away and onto something a lot safer.

Two hours later, he was rewarded.

"Giles? We're back!" Buffy shouted as she pushed through the swinging doors of the library.

"I think he's in the back, I'll go get him," Willow offered, waiting for her friend to nod her agreement.

The redhead weaved her way through the many stacks, still amazed every time by the fact that the library was a lot bigger than it appeared when you first entered the main room. Not sure where she would find him and not wanting to be stuck wandering all day, she let out her second senses and felt the mark that screamed Giles, a little to her right.

"Hey," she said softly, just in case he was so engrossed in his work that he would be surprised.

He did jump a little, before turning to her. "Oh, you're back. How did it go?"

Willow shrugged. "It was fine. Me and Buffy actually had a pretty nice talk with Rodney. He's not so bad, when he's not bullying us. Anyway, Xander told me that he took care of the seal. You'll have to get details from him later, if you want."

"Yes, yes, I'll do that," he said, still a bit distracted from his earlier thoughts.

Willow smiled to herself, recognizing the signs and waited for him to come back to the room.

"Oh," he said, when he finally noticed her again. "Right, we should go join the others."

The redhead giggled and Giles rolled his eyes, before they made their way back through the stacks to the main room. Xander was perched on the counter, looking through a book, though they weren't sure if he was actually reading it, or just pretending like old times. Buffy was impatiently tapping her foot by the table in the middle, looking up at them the second they turned the corner and was in her line of sight.

"Good, you're here. Look, I can't train tonight, okay? I have to pick up Ampata from the bus terminal. My mom will freak if I'm not there when he arrives," she said, taking in a deep breath, preparing for yet another valid argument.

Giles smiled. "That's quite alright, Buffy. I do understand that you have responsibilities other than your slaying," he said, knowing this would get a reaction.

"Oh," she replied, wide eyes and mouth hanging slightly open. She wasn't used to getting her way so easily. "Cool."

She leaned back in her chair and just like that, the mood-swing teenager had circled around to happiness again. Giles shook his head, while Willow rolled her eyes and giggled. The Watcher went to his back office, letting the kids do whatever they wanted. It was best to let them have their free time. Who knew when the next disaster would strike.

Evil was unpredictable, at the best of times.

He didn't even want to imagine what they were like at the worst.

* * *

**Friday, October 10th, 1997**  
**Sunnydale, California**

_Close to midnight..._

A stabbing sensation was beginning to spread in his left side and he pressed his hand hard into the flesh, trying to keep the pain to an absolute minimum.

He really needed to get a better car. Preferably one that didn't break down five feet from his apartment complex.

Now, he was forced to use his feet, in order to make it to the other end of town. His irritation reached high levels, when he remembered that his piece of junk vehicle hadn't broken down the first time around. He wondered why that was and then remembered how little he used to use it, in the past.

As he was taking Jenny out on many dates a week, now, it obviously made a difference.

Bloody Americans and their scrap automobiles.

Yesterday was the first night that the three time travelers had to just them, since returning to the past. Not that any of them were complaining about all the time they were each spending with the blonde Slayer, but still... they had more plans to make. And some of the most important ones were made last night.

They hadn't been in Giles' apartment for long, before they realized something that made them want to slap themselves. All three had spent so much time, trying to deny the two blondes' feelings for each other, that they had no idea when the love had first begun. And thus, they wouldn't know what to change and what not to, in order to ensure that they still found their way to one another.

It was not a fun dilemma to deal with.

For hours, they had discussed it back and forth, but the only real thing they could agree on, was that they couldn't wait until Spike was chipped. There was just too much potential danger from now till then. Not to mention the threat of Angelus hanging over their heads. None of them wanted to meet him again and not just for the lives that would be lost. Buffy's heart hadn't survived the ordeal and was one of the many reasons why she'd never let herself openly love Spike.

However, a joke from Xander ended up making the choice for them. Despite how cruel that plan might be, these people had seen and done far too much in life to let a little something like guilt tear apart everything. So, while making sure that no one would ever discover the truth of what they would have to do, they planned.

And tonight, everything would be put into motion.

Looking up from the road, Giles saw that he had made it to his destination. He stopped for a moment, wiping his forehead with his handkerchief, thinking one last time about the future consequences of what he was about to do. But the larger part of him, though he loathed to admit it, was very much looking forward to this.

The last time around, his love for Buffy and his belief in what was the right thing, had kept him from his revenge. But not this time. This time, he had a valid excuse to do, what he had dreamed of doing so many times in the past. He could hardly wait.

And just like that, his nerves disappeared, as a Ripper-esque smile came forth.

He pushed open the door to the complex and made his way down the stairs to the basement. He waited outside the door for a few moments, mentally preparing himself and trying to hide his pleased smile. It wouldn't do to tip his hand, before he was done. He only got one chance and he had to make sure the deed was done, before anyone was the wiser.

After all, he didn't have Slayer strength to rely on.

With one last, deep breath, he raised his hand and rapped on the door. He could hear soft footsteps inside, moving toward the entry to let him in. He sensed the hesitancy, realizing that the inhabitant must be wondering who was at his place, at this hour of the night.

"Giles?" He spoke, as he swung open the door.

"Angel, hello. Sorry for showing up unannounced," he said, forcefully pushing back his maniacal grin.

"That's okay," he replied, leaning slightly against the door. "What's going on? Is it Buffy?" His brown eyes were suddenly very aware, thinking it to be the only reason the Watcher would show up at his doorstep.

He couldn't remember him ever having been here before.

"No, no, nothing too serious. I just discovered something and couldn't wait to discuss it with you," he said, realizing that in all the planning, they'd never figured out how to get him into the apartment.

Giles did his best to surreptitiously lean forward, planting the idea in Angel's head to invite him in. In less than five seconds, it payed off, as the Vampire widened the doorway and stepped back, moving further into the tiny basement apartment. The Watcher pretended to take a look around as he closed the door behind him.

How to do this...

"I'm sorry to be a bother, Angel, but you wouldn't happen to have some tea? My car's in the shop and I walked all the way here. I'm a bit out of breath, I admit," he said, knowing that this part wasn't a lie, which made it easier to get out.

The Vampire blinked once. "Uh, sure, Giles. Let me just put some water on the kettle," he walked into the kitchen part of the apartment and fiddled with the appliance. "So, what was it you wanted to discuss?"

Masking his footsteps as best he could, Giles walked up close to Angel's back and slipped a stake out from under his coat. "Oh, I found quite the interesting volume, while going through my books this weekend," he said, picking something out from the top of his head as he inched closer.

Being careful of the enhanced hearing of his target, he took his time, waiting for just the right moment.

"You did inventory? I thought you trained with Buffy?" He replied, not a clue of what was happening behind him.

Giles was distracted, not even realizing that his cover had been blown. He hadn't heard a single word Angel had said and thus wasn't responding, worrying the other man. Just as he prepared to turn around, Giles thanked whatever power responsible for Angel's purchase of an old-fashioned kettle. As soon as the high-pitched whine distracted the Vampire and momentarily destroyed his enhanced senses, he struck.

"What the hell!" Angel said, turning around to give Giles a shocked look, as he slowly turned to dust.

And then only the Watcher remained.

He pulled his handkerchief back out and mopped it around his face, leaning heavily against the wall of the small kitchenette. Staring at the pile of dust on the ground in front of him, he wondered if he should remove the evidence, just in case. It wouldn't do to go through all this trouble, just to have Buffy discover his part in this.

She'd never forgive him, he knew.

He spent a few minutes, searching through the apartment, before he found the closet where the vacuum was. After getting rid of the pile that used to be a cursed Vampire, he threw himself into the only chair in the living room, a bottle of Scotch in hand that he had found in one of the cupboards. He may be younger now, than he was inside, but he was still too old for this stuff.

Although the part of him that had never stopped mourning Jenny felt very satisfied.

As he gazed over the small shelf of books on the right of the bed, he wondered how long it would take, for the Powers to bring Angel back. And Giles was sure that they would. Enough years had passed, since the Vampire's return from Hell, for the Watcher to figure out just who was responsible for that. For a long time, they had thought it was the First, but Giles hadn't been convinced.

After all, why go through all that trouble to bring him back, only to make him greet the sun a few months later.

It made absolutely no sense, in his mind.

No, the Powers were the ones responsible and they would surely do it again. However, there was the small chance that having been staked this time, it wouldn't be possible. But he wasn't taking any chances. Taking into account the amount of time Angel was in Hell, and how long Buffy kept him hidden from them, Giles figured that they had approximately five months to get the two blondes together.

Piece of bloody cake, he thought sarcastically.

Not bothering with a glass, he popped the lid off the bottle and sipped on the aging Scotch, murmuring a noise of contentment. He knew he was supposed to check in with Xander and let him know that everything went according to plan, but right now he just needed a few moments to himself.

And as he sat there, drinking the stolen liquor and congratulating himself on a successful kill, he couldn't help but think of the second part of the plan.

He wondered how Willow was doing.

* * *

**Saturday, October 11th, 1997**  
**Sunnydale, California**

_Just past midnight..._

The redhead snuck her way past most of the guards, wondering when minions became so useless. Rolling her eyes at how her mind was wandering away from the important subjects, she crawled through the dirty and cracked window, careful not to make a single noise as she landed on the ground below.

She shivered slightly as she remembered the last time she had been inside the factory.

In the distance she could hear various Vampires milling about, probably preparing to go out. She was surprised they hadn't left yet, as it had been dark for quite a while. But she did remember how little they had seen of Spike and Drusilla in the beginning and realized that they might be purposely laying low.

Well, no more.

She would just have to force their hand.

Pushing herself up against the wall, as close as she could get, she walked sideways down the long path to the back room. She thanked the Goddess for the fact that Dru was still ill from her trip to Prague, knowing that despite her powers, the Vampiress would've been too much for her, had she been at full strength.

She could hear the low timbre of Spike's voice, as he spoke in soothing tones to his Dark Princess, on the other side of the wall she now stood against. Before she could ponder on how to get across this hurdle, she heard him promising her to bring someone back with him and knew she would soon have the privacy she needed, for this to be a success.

Waiting until she could no longer hear the heavy footsteps, as the door banged shut behind him, Willow made her way down the stairs to the familiar bedroom. Only now she had the forethought to be careful where she stepped. She didn't want to be on the receiving end of a rebar, thank you very much.

"The stars told me you were coming, little tree. You've come to ruin my tea party, naughty girl," Dru spoke, as Willow stepped fully into the room.

"Sorry, Dru, but this has to be done. I hope you'll understand," she said, as calmly as she could.

She kept picturing the bleeding body of Kendra in her mind, so it wouldn't be as difficult a task for her to do. Reminding herself that the dark-haired woman was an evil Vampire certainly wasn't helping. Especially not with her looking so fragile and weak. Willow had also come far enough that she considered Spike to be a friend and he'd never forgive her, if he knew what she was about to do.

Not even the future, souled version, she was sure.

Drusilla nodded a little, while looking off into space, it appeared. "My William was never mine, you know. I always knew I'd have to give him up some day, to the sunshine. The pixies spoke to me, the night I found him. Said he would be a great Prince and that I had to help him. Make him strong,"

"You did a great job, Dru, really. Now it's time for him to be alone, so he can fulfill his destiny," there wasn't a doubt in Willow's mind that Dru spoke the truth.

She had seen this coming.

It would certainly explain why she had only made one, half-hearted attempt to get Spike back, that time she showed up in Sunnydale.

After that, they'd never seen or heard from her again.

Now Dru was staring at her, holding her hands out. "You've come to carry me to my own destiny, haven't you, little tree. Come now, we mustn't be late. The King will be quite cross with us if we spoil his party," she spoke, though Willow wondered if she wasn't the closest thing to lucid at the moment.

She certainly understood every word, for once.

Willow slowly approached the mad Vampiress, grabbing the stake from her pocket and allowing one, small tear to drop down her cheek. She hated having to do this, but knew it had to be done. They'd already discussed simply letting her leave town, but they couldn't risk her warning Spike and taking him with her.

Besides, in a way this was the humane thing to do. Now that Angel was dust, and Willow was sure that Giles had finished his part, she'd slowly wither away to nothing, without her cure. This was the only way left.

Drusilla lowered her arms, when Willow came closer. She stared into the redhead's eyes as the younger girl stood over her by the bedside. In the tiny part of her mind that was always lucid and aware of what went on around her, the innocence that Angelus hadn't managed to destroy completely was happy about this.

She'd soon be with her beloved family again, as her soul was released from the ether.

Willow was openly crying now as the hand that held the stake shook. "You understand, right? Please tell me you understand, Drusilla?" She begged her.

Deep, brown eyes stared into green, as a small smile spread on pale lips. "It's the right thing, dearie," she said, suddenly sounding more lucid than ever before. "I've waited for this moment for so long. My time here is through, I've done my part. It's time for me to rest, so William can enjoy his sunshine in peace."

Willow blinked, amazed at how accepting the Vampiress was. "I hope you can forgive me, Dru. And I promise to take good care of your Dark Prince," she whispered.

And then the dust of a mad woman covered the sheets.

Willow fell to her knees and let herself fall apart, as violent sobs shook her body. She cried for the woman that Drusilla had been, for the Vampiress who had given Buffy her soulmate and for the innocent young girl, that Angelus had corrupted and turned into a monster.

And finally, she cried for the soul that could now be at peace.

At long last.

* * *

**Sunday, October 12th, 1997**  
**Restfield Cemetery**  
**Sunnydale, California**

Buffy wandered through the gray stones, a hard grasp on her stake. She kept one eye on her surroundings, prepared for any attack that might come. Vampires didn't care that she had to study for a test or that tomorrow was a school day, so here she was, just before midnight, while her mother thought she was sleeping soundly in her bed.

She sighed, jumping over a marker, trying to wade off the bored feeling in her gut. Of course, that just meant thinking about things she shouldn't be.

Like where Angel had gone off to.

Once she had awoken from a restless night's sleep, she had pushed away thoughts of betrayal and forcefully convinced herself that she still loved the brooding Vampire, despite everything she had learned. It had never occurred to the blonde Slayer, that if she had to force the feelings to be there, then they probably didn't exist and probably never had.

She was too young, though, to admit to knowing what puppy love was like.

Buffy was used to going days without seeing Angel, but after what she had learned and the fact that Spike hadn't made his presence known since Parent Teacher night, she had been anxious for him to step out of the shadows, as per usual. So, she had sought him out, instead. Last night, she had gone by his apartment.

At first, she hadn't thought anything of him not being there. Chances were he was just out on patrol or maybe looking for her. She had pushed away the reminder of how little she actually knew about him and sat down to wait. When she woke up a few hours later, she realized that the sun had risen and there was still no sign of her boyfriend.

That's when the worry had set in.

Now, as she walked along the dark graveyard, she wondered what had happened. She refused to believe the worst, simply waiting for him to detach from the shadows and reassure her that he was just fine. Constantly reminding herself that he was a two-hundred-and-fifty-year-old Vampire and could certainly handle most situations without her help.

And then her thoughts turned to stars, as a blow came to her head.

"Guh," she got out, before falling to the ground.

Thanks to Slayer reflexes, she turned around as the boot-clad foot came down on the ground beside her, hard. She jumped up, blinking rapidly to get her sight back. When she did, she instantly went into a fighting stance, wondering why he had waited so long in hiding, just to jump her on patrol.

"You bloody bitch!" He screamed, jumping at her again.

Buffy fought off his punches, quickly realizing two things. The first was that he wasn't fighting the way he did in the school. His hits were sloppy and he was giving her several openings to ram a stake in his heart. The second thing was his anger. This wasn't just his regular, I want to kill my third Slayer, anger. This was full-blown rage.

Spike hated her and she had no idea why.

See, while it had certainly been a smart plan, for Willow, Giles and Xander to take Angel and Drusilla out of the equation, they had simply forgotten one very important thing. This was a time when Spike was very much in love with his Dark Princess and very much despised the Slayer.

Why they hadn't expected him to blame Buffy, no one could say.

She punched him hard in the nose and he reeled back from the blow. "You wanna fight? That's fine. But don't call me names, asshole," she said, feeling the fire building inside her.

What the hell had she done to him, now?

Spike was clutching his nose as he stood on uncertain legs. She sniffed the air and realized that he reeked of booze. "I'll call you whatever I bloody want, you stupid chit. Why? Why did you do tha'? She'd never done anythin' to you, you bleedin' harlot," he bit out through clenched teeth.

Buffy was sufficiently confused.

"Okay, back up just a minute here, Spike. What the hell is it that you think I've done?" Her brows furrowed, though she never let her guard down, expecting another attack any second now.

"Don't play dumb with me, little girl. I'm gonna rip your lungs out and bathe in your blood!" He said, coming at her again.

Buffy crinkled her nose in disgust and met his every thrust with a block of her own. "Okay, ew. Honestly, what is wrong with you?" She replied, as the fight moved to the other end of the cemetery, blow by blow.

By now he had shifted into game face and was growling at her, as his black duster flew around him, when he landed a kick to her mid-section. "You'll pay for what you did, Slayer. And I won' even have to worry about Peaches tryin' to save the day," he said with a grin, remembering the moment Friday night, when he'd felt the link to his Grandsire sever.

However, those were the wrong words to say.

Buffy saw red. Suddenly she realized why she hadn't been able to find Angel. "You bastard! How dare you! I'm gonna make you beg for a stake through the heart, once I'm done with you!" She screamed, voice instantly hoarse as the image of her lover turning to dust played inside her mind.

From then on out, the two blondes shared just as many punches, as they did threats. Their words only got rougher and a lot more imaginative, as the night wore on. Neither of them could have told you how long they kept up the fight, but there was no doubt that the Sunnydale reporters would tell the tale of the hooligans who destroyed one of the cemeteries, as the two laid Restfield to waste.

Barbs flew back and forth as their anger and hatred only continued to grow the more they were faced with the one they thought had killed their beloved. Spike pictured his Dark Princess as she traveled Europe, slaughtering everyone in her path and punched the blonde harder. He'd never see that again, all he had now were the memories. Buffy imagined a broad, brooding Angel, standing in the shadows of the Bronze, handing her his coat and kicked the legs out from under the bleach-blond. She'd never feel his cool touch on her skin ever again and all she had were the lousy souvenirs.

A coat and a cross. Yippee.

Buffy spared a moment to realize that Spike's hair was no longer blonde, as it was now coated in the mixed blood of them both. She wondered what she herself looked like in this moment, before that thought was destroyed, with the force of his punch to her temple. Her ears started ringing, drowning out the combined sounds of Spike growling and cursing her name. It was a nice reprieve.

Spike looked on as the Slayer's clothes hung in tatters around her petite form while he slashed at her body, hoping to eviscerate her by the end of the night. For the first time in thirty years, he couldn't care less about what happened to his precious coat, as he grabbed his last moment when Buffy fell to the ground. He stomped his heavy foot into her pelvis, feeling the crack of a broken bone.

She quickly recovered, despite the seething pain in her hip, as she jumped back up and grabbed a hold of one of the duster flaps. Swinging him around to face her, she turned the stake around in her hand and made sure the thick end hit him right in the throat. As he began to choke, from the blow to his larynx, Buffy took the opportunity to use her heel to her advantage as she buried the steel just above his knee.

He fell to his knees, clutching his sore throat, but not before he brought her with him. Before his knees touched the soiled ground below, he reached out his one free hand and grabbed a thick portion of bottle-blonde hair, ripping almost half of it out of the scalp. It was a dirty move, but he had never been above resorting to low means to win a fight.

Both blondes were know kneeling on the wet earth, a few feet apart, reeling from the various injuries they had given each other over the course of the night. But they weren't even close to done yet.

Thanks to enhanced healing and the thrill of battle, they were soon back on their feet and ready for round two.

Despite the pain in his right knee, Spike served Buffy a round-house kick, feeling the crunch of bone under his boot as her nose broke. Blood poured in rivers down her tanned face, inviting him in with its rich fragrance. He wouldn't let himself be distracted, though, so he quickly followed it up with a severe punch to her breast-bone.

As the wind was knocked out of her and she felt the searing pain in her nose, she struck out with her left foot, that still held a lethal heel. In his attempt to get away from her leg, he coiled his body around, catching the kick with his hand. He grabbed a tight hold and then twisted her ankle, wincing at the feral cry of pain that earned him.

Buffy made a mental check of all her injuries and realized that she'd never come out of this alive, if she didn't do something fast. With the strength of her still-functional hands, she pushed him so hard that he flew through the air and landed several feet away, on the roof of a mausoleum.

And then she ran.

She could hear the pursuit behind her and tried to push herself harder. Unfortunately, all of her injuries were making themselves known to her, at the worst possible moment. She limped along on her twisted ankle, felt the searing pain of her broken pelvis and tried to ignore the blood running down from her nose and into her mouth, as she panted for breath.

Heavy boots sounded on the pavement behind her, as she finally ran through the cemetery gates. She thanked whoever responsible that this was the closest graveyard to her house, praying she would make it there in time. It had been a long time since she had run from a fight, but she was smart enough to know when to call it quits.

Spike was too powerful for her. She had to regroup, before she battled him again.

Not as many feet back as she would've wanted, Spike also limped on his busted knee-cap, growling under his breath. Hating himself for the reflex of breathing, when he didn't have to. However, decades of acting too human for a Vampire had ruined him and he couldn't help it, as he panted right along with the escaping blonde ahead of him.

He wasn't ready to give up, not yet. Who knew when he'd get his next opening, like the one he'd gotten tonight. But, as he watched her cross over a green lawn and slam her way inside where he couldn't follow, he consoled himself. The Slayer had been far more injured tonight, than he had.

All he had to do, was make sure to strike within the next few days, before she could properly heal.

And then he would have her right where he wanted.

The bitch was going down.

Buffy leaned against the heavy door, grateful for whoever came up with the invite rule for Vampires. As she tried to catch her breath, she groaned slightly, when she heard the tell-tale sound of her mother coming out of her bedroom. Then again, there was no way she could hide this.

After all, Joyce drove her to school every morning and these injuries wouldn't heal enough overnight, for her to hide them.

Mentally coming up with a lie that would suffice, she turned the lock and looked out the small window in the door. Spike was still standing on the pavement, favoring his left leg and glaring at the house. She prayed that he wouldn't cause a scene and force her to come clean to her mother.

She really wasn't ready for that.

Hearing footsteps on the stairs, she turned away from the angry blond and prepared herself to face whatever downfall would come from this.

Wondering what would happen next.


	4. Shine the Light

**Authors Note; **This is the last, already written, chapter I've got, but hopefully that won't last long.

No particular warnings here, but correct me if I'm wrong.

* * *

**Monday, October 13th, 1997**  
**Revello Dr., 1630**  
**Sunnydale, California**

Buffy opened the door to her Watcher. "Thanks for coming," she rasped out through her battered throat.

"Good Lord, Buffy, what happened to you?" Giles stepped past the threshold and set down his briefcase and the books he'd been carrying, to take her into his arms.

"I had a run in with Spike last night," she tried to shrug, but her entire body was aching and she ended up flinching instead.

As Buffy sat him down on the couch and went over last night's events, the Watcher became more and more horrified. The one thing he and the other two had not been expecting, had happened; Buffy and Spike had blamed each other for the deaths of Drusilla and Angel.

How had they been so blind?

He looked at his charge, who was like a daughter to him. Both her eyes were a dark blue, thanks to the broken nose she now sported. She was limping, obviously avoiding putting weight on one of her ankles. Her breathing was sporadic, leading him to wonder just how many broken ribs she was dealing with at the moment.

And that was just the tip of the iceberg.

"Anyway, that's not why I called you here," she said, bringing him back to the room with her words. "When I made it into the house, my mom must've heard something, cause she came down to check on the noise. There's no way I can explain this away, Giles, not without losing the last shred of trust she has left in me. I need you to help me prove to her the truth; it's time for her to learn what I am."

"Who, not what, Buffy," he said, absentmindedly, while he cleaned his glasses.

It was happening almost a year early, but he supposed it was for the best. Maybe this way they could keep Joyce from lashing out in shock and thus ensure that Buffy wouldn't be running away for five months, ever. His presence would also keep the older Summers woman from doing what she had done a year ago.

No one would be locking Buffy up in an asylum again, if he had anything to say about it.

As if summoned, Joyce stepped into the room, suspicion and worry in her tired eyes. She had accepted that Buffy wanted to wait to tell her what had happened until she'd gotten some rest, but the time for waiting was over. It was bad enough that her daughter had outright refused to let her take her to a hospital, but she was not going to just stand by and ignore what her child was going through.

Although, Joyce had to concede, it had looked a lot worse the night before. Since the woman didn't know about her daughter's enhanced healing, she convinced herself that it wasn't quite as bad as she had first thought, as she took a seat next to her beaten and battered child.

Not the least bit prepared for what the day would bring.

She sat in horrified interest, as her daughter's school librarian painted a picture she had heard once before. As time passed and she began slowly believing what she was hearing, she thought of last year and what she had needlessly put her only child through.

And she broke down.

"Mom, please don't cry. It's okay, you didn't know. I probably would've done the same if the roles were switched," Buffy tried to console her mother, even if her words were a lie.

She'd never truly been able to forgive her parents for locking her up in that place, even if she did manage to do some good there. One less Demon in the world, and all.

But her mother wasn't listening. All Joyce could think of, all she saw in her mind's eye, was the terrified look on Buffy's face as her and Hank watched the men in white take her away. She remembered visiting Buffy in the psych ward and worrying that her daughter would never be healthy again.

And all this time, she'd been speaking the truth.

The only time she actually lied, was when she said that she no longer believed in those 'hallucinations' and knew that they were false. She had swallowed everything she was and spoken a lie, just so she could leave a place she never should have been in, in the first place.

Joyce swallowed a thick bile in her throat and wondered how much alcohol it would take for her to feel better. She mentally calculated whether or not she would need a trip to the liquor store.

The blurry haze of drinking herself a hole in the ground was better than drowning in the truth, she was sure.

She didn't yet know that the time traveler sitting in front of her would not let that happen.

Giles knew what it was like to let yourself get lost in the high of getting wasted. He thought back on his first year after the school and both of his jobs were blown up in his face and shuddered. He would never become so pathetic and unhealthy again, and he'd be damned if he'd let the same thing happen to a woman as good and kind as Joyce Summers.

No matter what it took, he would help her.

But first he had a call to make.

* * *

**Sunnydale High,**  
**Sunnydale, California**

"Can you believe they just whaled on each other like that?" Xander asked his friend as they walked down the school halls.

Since neither of them were aware of the beating Spike had taken one week before Buffy's twenty-first birthday, this was Willow's answer. "I know, it's so freaky. I never knew they could be so... extreme. Giles said he's never seen her this bad. Not even with Glory or that time the Turok Han wiped the floor with her."

The recently-returned teenager shook his head. "I just can't believe we didn't see this coming. And of course we have no way of proving that neither of them were responsible for Angel and Drusilla, cause then there'd be all kinds of questions we couldn't answer."

Willow nodded as she pushed open the school front doors and they walked out into the bright sunshine. "I know, it's so annoying. Do you think we've ruined it now?" Her voice was coated in worry and her innocence shone through in this moment.

Xander gave it only a moment's thought before answering. He leaned down to make sure no one overheard them. "Honestly, Will, if Buffy could forgive an attempted rape and Spike could forgive months of abuse, I don't think there's anything those two can't make it through. We just gotta give it some time, I think."

Willow nodded, though she wasn't as sure as her friend. After all, that had been adult Buffy and a Spike that had been in love with the blonde Slayer for a few years. These two were different and she was afraid they would all pay for that. Steeling herself for the possible future, she followed Xander down the steps and leaned against the railing.

"What else did Giles say when you spoke to him?" He asked, wanting a slight change of subject.

"Only that he would be busy today, telling Joyce all about the supernatural. He'd sent Buffy up to rest just before he called, but who knows how long she can sit still."

Xander nodded and then thought of something. "We really should make sure she doesn't go patrolling the next couple of nights. Spike might want to take advantage of the fact that she's not fully healed yet."

"Buffy can take care of herself," Willow said, having more faith in her friend than she probably should.

But Xander saw the reality. "Our Buffy, maybe. But this one hasn't been through all of those things, and probably won't now, if we have anything to say about it. I just think we should keep our eyes open, is all."

Before the redhead could respond, a hand wrapped around her arm and suddenly Cordelia was pulling her away from her male friend. They were halfway to a parked car in front of the school, before Willow finally realized what was happening and she pulled away from the brunette.

"Come on," Cordelia said, annoyance coating her tone. "Richard and his fraternity brother wanna meet you."

Willow's brows furrowed. "And don't I get any say in this?" She said, resisting when the girl tried to pull her again.

She rolled her eyes. "If I don't, neither do you. Look, if there was a God, this wouldn't be happening, but unfortunately I'm not that lucky. Now, come on."

Too shocked to respond, Willow lets herself be pulled over to the car, not interested in being rude to the brunette right now. She still feels guilty about the 'fluke' from her senior year.

"Hi, sweetheart. I'm Richard. And you are?" A sickeningly handsome college boy says and something nags at Willow.

A memory she can't quite capture right now.

"Sorry, not really interested. Bye," she hurries out, attempting to move back to a bewildered Xander.

But Cordelia is quicker and grabs her hand again. "Heh, she's such a little comedienne, isn't she," she laughs, glaring at Willow when the boys can't see.

"What, she likes to play hard to get?" Richard says, disgust and power in his voice.

A chill runs down Willow's spine and her Witchy senses tingle a bit. Before she can think any more about the sound in his voice, the second guy steps out of the car and walks to her side, keeping his eyes on his friend as he speaks.

"No, Richard. I think you're playing easy to resist." Before Willow can leave, the new man turns to her and smiles, awkwardly. "Ah, feel free to ignore him. I do all the time. I'm Tom Warner. I'm a senior at Crestwood college, and I... and I just feel like a complete dolt meeting you this way, so... here I stand in all my doltishness."

In the few seconds that pass, Willow manages to think an array of thoughts. Including the continuing nagging of a memory she can't capture in her mind. And then a familiar voice speaks inside her mind, as Xander opens the mental link between them, having been taught this years back, when they first began establishing the New Council.

_I think I remember this, Will. Those are the frat guys who sacrifice three girls to a Demon snake, in return for money, glory and power._ He frantically yelled at her, barely keeping from running to her side.

They both knew this was a fragile situation.

So, as Willow stepped up to the plate and introduced herself to Tom, flirting her way through an entire conversation, she was mentally wondering what girls saw in guys like him. At least Richard was an honest douche, not trying to hide his evil.

But this guy, Tom? He was worse than that. He was a pretender. Willow hated pretenders.

It's why she'd always liked Harmony least out of all the Cordettes, including Cordelia herself.

Nobody respected a pretender.

After agreeing to join Cordelia at a party that weekend, she was finally allowed to leave and returned to Xander's side. Being Monday, they knew they had plenty of time to plan, but that didn't matter.

They weren't waiting until Saturday.

* * *

**Tuesday, October 14th, 1997**  
**Revello Dr., 1630**  
**Sunnydale, California**

As carefully as possible, so as not to jostle all of her countless injuries, Buffy sat down at the kitchen island. Her mother had called up to her room a few minutes earlier, saying that was making her famous hot chocolate and it had, as Joyce had already known, been enough to get the Slayer out of her room.

Now, as her mother stood with her back to Buffy brewing the secret family recipe, the blonde could almost see the pink elephant in the room. Giles had left last night while Buffy was sleeping and by the time she woke up this morning, Joyce had already left for work.

Now was the first time they were spending any time together, since her mother had learned, and accepted, the truth.

She wasn't sure what to expect, but this silence was slowly freaking her out. It didn't help that her head already hurt, from all the fists it had taken on Sunday, from an angered Master Vampire. Not to mention the grief she was still dealing with, after learning what had happened to her boyfriend.

Once she was all healed, Spike was going down, she promised herself and the memory of Angel.

He would not get away with this.

Before her mind could spiral even further down this worn and broken path, her mother turned around and set two cups down in front of them. Her eyes wouldn't meet her daughter's and Buffy's heart began to beat really fast against her ribcage.

Joyce sighed, opened and closed her mouth a few times, before finding her courage. "I am having a really rough time, trying to wrap my head around this. But I want you to know that, no matter how difficult, I promise I will never react the way I did back in LA. I can't apologize enough for that, but I'm going to try. I'll also try and support you and your... destiny. It won't be easy and I will spend every single night worrying, knowing you are out there risking your life. But I will try, honey," glassy eyes looked into green and both women broke down into tears in each others arms.

"I promise to be a better daughter, mom. These past two years have been awful and I've missed our closeness. I'm so sorry for not realizing that you could handle this and telling you as soon as Giles became my Watcher."

Both women refused to address the fact that Joyce likely wouldn't have listened at any point, until now, when her daughter's 'job' stared her in the face, through the multiple bruising covering her entire body and face.

A half hour passed as the two Summers' reconnected on a much deeper level. They muddled through all of the issues of the past couple of years, including the divorce, the expulsion from Hemery High, the death of Buffy's first Watcher and recent boyfriend, the loneliness Joyce felt, starting over in a new town, and everything in between.

Buffy regaled her mother with a few stories of her time as the Slayer, choosing those that had a more humorous ending and leaving out her death a few months back. By the time the sun had left and the moon resided in the sky, the two women were closer than ever before.

And thanks to that, it only took two minutes to convince her mother that she had to patrol. She said that one night was long enough and innocents would die if she wasn't there to save them.

Only when she stepped outside and shut the door behind her, did she admit to herself the real reason. She wanted to track down Spike and end things, once and for all. Be it with his dust or her last breath, she didn't care.

She was done.

* * *

**Wednesday, October 15th, 1997**  
**Sunnydale High Library**  
**Sunnydale, California**

"We thought we could handle it differently this time and thus save that girl from several more days of torture, but it's not happening," Willow stated dejectedly, reporting last nights happenings to Giles.

Her and Xander had arrived at the frat house, after midnight, prepared to take care of the snake, Machida, quickly and cleanly, before any of the brothers could even realize what was going on. There was only one problem with that plan and it was a serious one.

Without the brothers there to summon Machida, he wouldn't come out of his cavern home and Willow just didn't have the kind of dark power it would take to bring him to them. At least not without risking a return of her black-haired, veiny former self.

So now they realized that they had to let things happen the same way. On Saturday, it would be dealt with, but until then they felt guilty for what the girl, Callie, was going through.

The only thing that made it any easier was the knowledge that she survived the last time, to return to a healthy state of mind. They'd just have to pray that it would be the same this time, as they weren't changing anything except switching Buffy out for Willow.

Giles agreed with her. "Don't worry, everything will work out fine. In the meantime, I will research this Machida and see what I can find. As Buffy took care of him last time, I didn't do much reading on him, except to identify him and report it to the Council."

"Sounds great, Giles," Xander said, from his relaxed perch on the counter. "While you're doing that, we'll go to classes we've already been through before and try not to die from boredom."

"At least you don't risk dying from boredom just because you can't show your face in school," a voice came from the stacks in the back.

"Buffy!" Three voices cried out, when the Slayer stepped out of the stacks.

There were new bruises on her face, she was favoring her left leg and her right arm was wrapped in a home-made sling, courtesy of her worried mother. Her nose was re-broken and a few blood vessels in her right eye had popped, leaving her with a black patch covering it to keep the light out.

At least her injuries weren't anything that wouldn't eventually heal, Xander thought, itching to reach up and make sure he still had two eyes.

Sensing her male friend's thoughts, Willow removed attention from him and moved forward to take her other friend into her arms. "What the hell happened, Buffy? I thought you were gonna stay in until you healed?"

Buffy shrugged, painfully. "Yeah, well, it didn't feel right to shirk my responsibilities just cause I got a few boo-boos." She said, downplaying her injuries.

Giles shook his head and began cleaning his glasses. "You and I know it's more than just, uh, boo-boos, as you say. You are seriously injured, Buffy, and by going out on patrol in your state, you risk taking a very talented fighter away from this town. What will happen to all of those innocents if you get yourself killed?" He stated, raising a brow in her direction.

Buffy flushed; she hadn't thought of it that way. She huffed and awkwardly tried to cross her arms over her chest. "Fine, maybe you're right. I guess I can stay in until I heal. I'm just so bored and..."

"And you want Spike to pay for what you think he did," Willow said, understanding where her friend was coming from.

There was no doubt in any of their minds, who was behind the fresh bruising on the Slayer.

Buffy's brows furrowed. "What do you mean, think, Will?"

Backtracking, she realized her slip-up. "Uh, I just mean that, from what you said that he said, he wasn't actually taking responsibility for Angel's disappearance, he just, uh, mentioned how happy he was that he was gone and I'm just gonna shut up now." As if she had run a marathon, Willow threw herself into a chair, exhausted.

Xander stepped forward, laying a hand on the redhead's shoulder. "What Willow is saying is, we can't be sure Spike actually... staked Angel. I mean, he's accusing you of taking out this Drusilla person and we all know that's not true."

Buffy glared at her friends; she wanted someone to blame, dammit, and putting that on Spike made it easier to fight back when he came for her, in revenge for what he thinks happened between her and his Sire. "Then how did he know Angel was gone, if he didn't do it himself?" She asked, sure she had just found the one thing they couldn't explain away.

And then Giles stepped forward. "Actually, there is another way. One you would know of if you read the things I'm constantly asking you to. Vampires have bonds with their makers, especially if they are created as Childer, instead of minions. As Angel was Spike's Grandsire, he would've 'felt' it when the older Vampire... dusted."

The blonde huffed, again. It wasn't that she thought her friends and Watcher were on the evil Vampire's side, she knew that wasn't the case, it just annoyed her that they continued to find reason and logic, when she wanted to stay mad.

Of course, she was still going to kill Spike. He was still an evil, soulless, Vampire and was also still after her blood. There was no way for her to convince him that she didn't stake Drusilla, even if she wanted to, so they would just have to continue fighting until one of them won.

Preferably her.

When the others realized that she was seeing it from their point of view, they relaxed and began talking of less stressful things. When the bell rang, sending Xander and Willow back to the life of two teenagers, Giles offered to drive Buffy back home before Snyder spotted her in all of her 'delinquent and injured' glory.

No one was aware of the bleached haired Vampire listening in on their conversation, from behind one row of the stacks.

Interesting, indeed.

* * *

**Saturday, October 18th, 1997**  
**Delta Zeta Kappa Fraternity**  
**Sunnydale, California**

The chanting grew louder in her ears, combined with the sound of crying from Callie and complaining from a frightened Cordelia. Where before it would have gotten on her nerves, now the redhead knew that this was just the brunette's way of dealing with everything that was happening.

Willow focused on the dozens of men in robes, standing all around the dark basement cavern. Rumblings began to build from the well in the corner and the Witch surreptitiously glanced at the stairs, wondering when Xander and Giles would be joining them all.

Hopefully Buffy was safely secured in her bed, and not out patrolling, as she had promised.

The voices had now grown to an overwhelming staccato and Willow knew it was only a matter of seconds, before they were joined by the presence of Machida. And just as those thoughts finished passing through her, the rumbling increased and a large snake burst forth from the stone and dirt well.

Wincing at the screams coming from her right, the redhead whispered an incantation under her breath and soon the shackles were lying on the floor beneath her. She rushed ahead and easily passed the frat boys, coming up to stand before Machida, murder in her eyes.

She wasn't the only one causing a ruckus anymore, as the door atop the basement stairs was kicked in and two men rushed the scene. Giles kept off most of the human men, while Xander ran to Callie and Cordelia and worked on getting them free.

There was nothing but hysteria and madness in the air as everything finally came to blows.

Willow sank her ax into the neck of Machida and Giles knocked out a fifth frat boy, just as Xander got Cordelia free.

And then, out of the shadows, Tom stepped forward and pushed Xander to the side. "Disrespectful!" He shouted, anger and hatred in his eyes and a sword in his grasp. "I will not stand for it!" Lifting up the sword, aimed at the scared cheerleader, he begins to swing it downwards.

When a dark, blurred shape hits him from the side and throws him to the ground, simultaneously beating his fist into the side of his head until Tom is finally unconscious.

The remainders of the room look on in silence as Xander rises from the ground, a fierce and feral glint in his eyes. Cordelia stares at her savior, for once left completely speechless at what the former dweeb just did.

He saved her life.

"Right, then," Giles says, breaking the silence and adjusting his glasses.

While he walks upstairs to contact the proper authorities and Willow begins the spell that will eradicate any and all evidence of Machida's corpse, Xander is assisting a confused and shaking Callie out of the basement while Cordelia simply watches, still standing in the spot where she was previously chained.

It boggled her mind and she didn't know what to think. While she had certainly witnessed the recent changes in both him and the redhead, it had never truly hit her, until now.

Not one to let herself be fooled, she had always remembered the events of the last year, even if she had outwardly been ignoring it. She had a feeling that it was the two teenagers introduction into the supernatural world of their third, blonde friend, that had started the serious change they were just now showing signs of.

But only now did she realize how severe those changes were. It wasn't just that they were dressing differently, or that Xander had gained a more serious outlook on his homework and school classes; on a much deeper, cellular level, they had become people to count on, on a night like this.

They had saved her and that other girl tonight, and, even more importantly in Cordelia's eyes, Xander had personally saved her, throwing himself into potential danger for the life of a girl who had made the last many years very difficult for him and his best friends.

Her head was beginning to thrum and she wished for ignorance, but it wasn't coming back. Not anymore.

She could no longer ignore what was right in front of her.

Xander Harris had changed.

Up on solid ground, surrounded by the bright lights of various ambulances and police cars, Xander and Giles stood off to the side and whispered to each other, about their success on this night.

It had gone fairly better than they had expected, even in light of their knowledge of the future.

Or in this case, the present.

"And Callie?" Giles asked, as Xander had been the one to escort her to an ambulance.

"She seems okay, all things considered. A few scrapes and bruises, but nothing serious. The cop that took my statement told me that her parents would be contacted first thing. I'm sure, with time, she'll forget this ever happened. Or, at least, the truth of it."

He didn't have to say, out loud, how awful it was to know that, even when the presence of Machida vanished from her memory, she would still remember being kidnapped and held prisoner for more than two weeks.

Poor girl.

"Well, let's hope so," the Watcher replied, backing up a bit when he saw Willow coming out of the fraternity front doors, holding up a silent and shaking Cordelia. "Why don't you go get the girls and we'll get out of here. We can come back for Cordelia's car in the morning."

Xander didn't question why Callie was handed over to the cops and Cordelia wouldn't be. It may be early on, but the brunette, for some reason, never truly let the ignorance of other Sunnydale residents get to her, not since her encounter with an invisible Marcie. Followed by the short-lived opening of the Hellmouth itself.

As Xander went off to get Willow and Cordelia, Giles walked the short path to his old Citroen, once more contemplating trading it out earlier. He got in and started up the engine, just as the doors opened and the others joined him, Xander in the front and the girls in the back.

As the four of them headed back toward town, all thoughts were on the blonde Slayer, if for varying reasons.

All wondering what she was doing, at this exact moment.

* * *

**While Willow was breaking her chains...**

Buffy sat in her window, staring out over Revello Drive, bored and annoyed. But she had promised her friends and Watcher that she wouldn't go patrolling until she was fully healed. Tomorrow, she was hoping.

It was Saturday and she was supposed to be doing something, even if it wasn't slaying. But Willow and Xander had made it very clear that they weren't going to the Bronze tonight, so she was pretty much screwed.

What were they doing, anyway?

She sighed and rubbed her arms; it was chilly out tonight. Her mind flashed to the black leather jacket, hanging in her closet. She hadn't worn it in a few months and she probably never would again. It reminded her too much of what she had lost.

Angel.

Would she ever find that again? Not just a handsome man to love her, but someone who knew and understood. She briefly thought of her date with Owen the previous year. Was there another man in the world who would accept who she was and be able to fight by her side.

Did he even exist?

Xander and Willow had their place by her side, through research and uplifting comedy, and Giles was her Watcher, but none of them could really handle themselves in true battle. She wanted a companion who could hold their own against the monsters of the Hellmouth.

Forgetting for a moment that Angel had never fought with her before.

Her traitorous mind formed an image of Spike and she grumbled under her breath, but she couldn't deny it. Not that she wanted to date the Vampire, not at all. No, what she wanted was someone like him. Capable fighter, enjoys the battle and understands the darkness that she has to live in.

Shaking her head with a small, ironic smile, she realized that a man like that probably didn't exist. And if he did, what would he want with her, anyway.

No, she was better of just keeping to her slaying, hanging with her friends and training with her Watcher.

Always hoping, in the back of her mind, that that special guy would show up some day.

"Buffy?" her mother called from the bottom of the stairs, pulling her out of her funk.

She turned away from the window, thus missing the appearance of a confused Master Vampire.

"What's up, mom?" Buffy asked, when she sat down on a stool in the kitchen.

"I was just gonna make some hot chocolate, thought you'd might like some," she replied, her back to her daughter.

But the Slayer heard the undertone in her voice. She sighed. "Giles told you, didn't he?" She said, raising a brow when her mother turned around to look at her.

Joyce gave up the pretense and nodded, not saying a word as she turned back to her task by the stove. She'd spent the last few days with the Watcher, learning all she could of this world and what her daughter's destiny entailed.

And last night, she had approached him about the situation with Buffy. After realizing that the recent bruises on the Slayer's body was not the norm, she wanted to find out why it was happening. Especially after creating the sling for her child's broken arm.

So she spoke with Mr. Giles. And learned about Angel.

Not the truth, mind you, the Watcher wasn't that dumb.

She was told about the dramatic love story between the two, the Vampiric status of the much older man and finally, the untimely and surprising dusting of said Vampire. And through that, she learned of Spike.

She shivered when reminded of her own close call with someone she had only thought a dangerous man; not a dangerous monster.

Thank the Lord for the invention of axes.

But what stuck with Joyce the most, was that her daughter was in pain. And, though unable to stop the hurt, she could do her best to be there for her; support her through the heartache. Which meant hot chocolate.

Perhaps some of those mini marshmallows the blonde teenager liked so much as a child?

"I thought we might have some time, just the two of us? What do you think, honey?" She finally said, avoiding the elephant in the room.

Buffy tried not to cry, for once not out of sadness, but instead the surprised joy of having her mother with her. Only now was she beginning to realize the positive in having the secret out there. "I think that sounds great, mom. Should I put a movie on?"

Unknown to either occupant on the house on Revello Drive, a creature of the night was prowling around the edge of the property, listening in and watching what he could.

Spike was... flummoxed. There really was no better word for it than that.

After the overheard conversation in the library he had been unable to deny the truth of their words, no matter how hard he tried. So he'd checked it out. Despite the pain it caused, he had returned to the factory and used his enhanced sense of smell.

There wasn't a single sign of a Slayer having been in the building; not one. Only the various minions, himself and Dru had been there in months, perhaps even years. It forced him to reconsider some things.

Ending in the conclusion that his beloved Sire must have been sicker than even he had realized.

The only explanation was that she had simply weakened until automatically dusting and that the only responsibility for that lay with those buggering humans that had attacked them in Prague.

And he'd already sought vengeance on those ponces.

Lighting yet another fag, he watched the Slayer and her mother sit down in the living room, chatting idly amongst each other. Thinking of Dru's untimely demise, made him think of his Grandsire.

Despite the pleasure he would get from dusting the poofter, he knew he hadn't done the deed and wondered, not for the first time, who had.

And in a moment of pure insight, he realized something; no one would ever learn the answer to that question.

Whatever, or whoever, had done their job and done it well. And again, not for the first time, did he wonder if the two surprise dustings were connected in any way.

And as he crushed the fag under his heavy boot, he wondered if their was a new player in time.

And who might be next on the list.

* * *

**Authors Note; **Before anyone points it out as a mistake... No, Buffy did not catch what Xander was saying fully, only the part about being bored. She was recently hit, repeatedly, in the head and is wearing an eye patch; she won't get most of what's happening around her, trust me. Also, Spike had not been listening in until after Buffy showed up.


End file.
